Moral Competence and Education: Some Contributions

Abstract

Context: The significance of moral discourse has become increasingly pronounced in contemporary times due to the prevalence of moral issues daily featured in televised news. Objectives: This chapter explores matters related to moral competence and education. It introduces the Moral Judgment Test (MJT), designed to evaluate individuals’ levels of moral competence. Furthermore, the chapter discusses potential avenues for fostering moral education within the school environment. Considerations: (A) Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the concept of moral competence is paramount, as is recognizing the significance of cultivating educational approaches that enhance individuals’ moral competence. (B) Establishing educational frameworks conducive to nurturing these capacities requires educators to possess profound insights into the methods that foster their development in individuals. This underscores the requirement for proficient trainers who can equip teachers with the tools to champion the cultivation of moral competence among their students. (C) The school also assumes a pivotal role as a democratic forum that can foster dialogues encompassing a plethora of subjects, thereby affording students the platform to articulate and deliberate upon their ideas. (D) Constructing an equitable and democratic society, wherein citizens’ rights are acknowledged, hinges significantly on restructuring the educational system in alignment with the principles of moral education. Only through such transformation can genuinely self-governing individuals emerge, advocating for their rights, demonstrating deference for their peers, and upholding the moral tenets postulated by Georg Lind.